"Fred Again, AKA Fred Gibson, has been on an impressive run in recent months: a tour from Madrid to Mexico City, a six-night residency in New York, and the emergence of dozens of the songs forming his unfolding album, USB002. He now comes home to the UK; literally with this four-show residency at Alexandra Palace in London, and also in the musical homages he pays on the opening night."
"He begins his five-hour set at 5.30pm, interspersing his own discography with back-to-back sets with Hamdi, Oppidan and Nia Archives. It's not the euphoric hug-the-stranger-next-to-you of his Actual Life albums; it's dark, heavy jungle and UK garage. Gibson's love of London rap, from drill to conscious, is then made clear with a series of star guests: on new track Lights Burn Dimmer, Jamie T would make Mike Skinner proud; Berwyn delivers a braggadocious BerwynGesaffNeighbours; Blanco gets lost in himself on Solo."
"Gibson's production feels like a skeleton key for these collaborators, unlocking their best work: the sometimes impassive Headie One is energised and excitable on Smoke, Back to Basics and Ain't It Different. London is the natural home for Gibson's garage and drum'n'bass tracks, but the more introspective and tender Adore U, Danielle (Smile on My Face) and a mix of Dermot Kennedy's For Island Fires and Family and Lost, into Dermot (See Yourself in My Eyes), are some of the best received."
Fred Again returned to London for a four-show residency at Alexandra Palace, opening with musical homages that ranged from Arctic Monkeys to EsDeeKid and Spice. He delivered a five-hour set beginning at 5.30pm, alternating his own material with back-to-back sets with Hamdi, Oppidan and Nia Archives, favoring dark, heavy jungle and UK garage over the euphoric tone of his Actual Life albums. A sequence of star guests showcased London rap and varied styles, and Gibson's production acted as a 'skeleton key', energising collaborators across tracks from introspective Adore U to pulsing Beto's Horns. Audience stickers discouraged filming.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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